In recent years the fashion industry has embraced the look of distressed, faded, and tattered looking clothing. Several major fashion designers are now taking new clothes and making them look old and worn out. One of the most popular fashions of clothing to “distress” are Jeans.
In the classic sense, Jeans are casual pants made of heavyweight indigo denim, typically featuring five pockets, six rivets, contrast stitching, five to seven belt loops and a zip or button fly. Jeans date back to the mid 1800's when a workwear manufacturer Levi Strauss & Co. and tailor Jacob Davis together patented the use of rivets as reinforcement to hold pockets and Jeans together so they would not tear. When Strauss and Co. introduced copper riveted ‘waist overalls’, as Jeans were then known, they became an instant success for their durability and rugged feel. In the early 20th century Jeans were traditionally worn by outdoor workers, cowboys, and ranchers. However, since the 1930's Jeans have transcended their conventional status as workmen's clothing and have now become fashionable clothing worn by just about everyone.
In early 20th century, Jeans were made by only a handful of clothing manufacturers such as Levi Strauss and Co., Lee® and Wrangler®. They became quickly known for the comfort, affordability and versatility. Since the 1980s, however, almost every major manufacturer is carrying its own line of jeans.
It is well known to consumers of Jeans and those in the Jean industry that brand new Jeans take months of wearing and washing before they become faded and well-worn. To many, the worn-in and worn-out look is a desirable and comfortable clothing item. To meet this demand for worn out or “distressed” clothing, designers have been marketing “faded”, “stonewashed”, “acid washed”, “enzyme washed” and “crushed” Jeans as popular clothing items. In order to create distressed looking clothing, Jean manufacturers have in the past employed various combinations of physical and chemical processes, including sanding with sandpaper, washing with pieces of pumice stone, and using bleaching agents and enzymes to “biopolish” and create a “stonewashed” look. However, there is a demand in the market for even more distressed looking clothing, beyond the tattered and worn out look.
In order to create the ultimate distressed look, some in the fashion industry have experimented with Jeans that feature mock bullet holes and shot-gun blasts. One retailer, Gambino Jeans (see www.gambinoJeans.net), sells Jeans that have holes reflecting mock shotgun blasts. However, these Jeans do not have the authentic distressed look of actual bullet holes and do not emulate actual shotgun blasts.
What is desired therefore is to create Jeans and other garments that can be safely distressed with actual gunfire, projectiles or other distressing apparatuses to yield clothing products which feature actual bullet holes or emulate such holes. However, discharging a projectile at a garment or puncturing a garment or accessory can not only be dangerous, but can easily damage or compromise critical components of the garment such as buttons and zippers. Bullets and shotgun pellets can easily ricochet and end up in places beyond the shooters control. Therefore, what is desired is a method and process of distressing a garment with a distressing apparatus to create or emulate bullet holes in a safe, consistent, and reliable manner.